Ukraine Wants Starlink in Russia for Long-Range Drones
Ukraine is continuing negotiations with the U.S. regarding the possibility of using Starlink on Russian territory for Ukrainian defense purposes. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the issue remains on the table, although SpaceX had previously refused to allow such use due to the risk of escalation.
According to Zelenskyy, back in the first half of this year, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense approached him with a request to negotiate with U.S. President Donald Trump regarding the possibility of using the Starlink satellite communication system in Russia. The plan was to use the system for Ukrainian defense purposes, specifically to operate long-range drones.
Zelenskyy explained that the Ukrainian side had received information about SpaceX’s alleged preliminary consent to such use. However, he said, the final decision had to be approved at the political level. “In the first half of this year, I received a request from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense asking me to explore the possibility of reaching an agreement with President Trump on the use of Starlink on the territory of the Russian Federation for our defense purposes,” the president said.
Zelenskyy subsequently raised this issue during a meeting with Trump. According to him, he tried to convince the U.S. president that such an opportunity could help bring the war to a quicker end. “I was able to assure him that this would help bring the war to an end by correspondingly reducing Russia’s ability to drag out the conflict,” Zelenskyy noted.
At the same time, a problem arose in obtaining SpaceX’s final position. According to the Ukrainian president, representatives of the two delegations tried to contact Elon Musk, but he did not answer their calls. During their next meeting, Trump informed Zelenskyy that SpaceX had denied Ukraine’s request to use Starlink on Russian territory. The reason cited was the potential risk of escalation in relations with Russia.
Despite this, Ukraine has not stopped discussing the issue with the American side. “Today, it’s all up to the U.S. President, and they are already having their own internal discussions. I did what I was asked to do. I did this over the course of two meetings,” Zelenskyy said. The president also noted that Ukraine had engaged other world leaders to advance this idea.
Thus, there is currently no final decision regarding the possibility of using Starlink on Russian territory. The Ukrainian side continues to discuss this issue with the U.S., and any further decision will depend on the U.S. side and SpaceX’s position. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made this statement during a conversation with journalists.
